Fusible link for sprinkler-heads.



^ w. A. PERRY. FUSIBLE LINK FORSPRINVKLER HEADS:

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l Patell'wd DBG. 12; 1916.

v Mummia WILLIAM A. `BERRY, lOIE ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

FUSIBLE LINK FOR SPRINKLER-HEADS.

' Application filed January 31, 1916. Serial o. 75,420.

To all whom t mag/.concern lis . tion, in which- Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. PERRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at St., Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fusible Links for Sprinkler-Heads, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvementsin fusible links for sprinkler-heads;

and it consists in the novel features of construction more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a fusible link which will readily break down upon the application of heat, owing to the vmelting of the fusible component, but which will not break down under pressure, or by jarring, as is the case with the links 1n use.

A further object of my invention is toI provide a link, the respective parts of which will separate instantly when the fusible component is melted, and one that will not bind or stick as 'often happens with the links in present use.

Other advantages will be better apparent from a detailed description of my inven- Figure 1. is a side elevation of a sprinkler head with my improved link applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an edge view of the link; Fig. 3 is a face view of the link with a part of the solder broken away to disclose the center ball, and a part removed toshow one of the'hooks; Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a-section similar to Fig. 4, the solder, however,

having been melted away from the link components, and one of said componentsbeing shown 'dotted as it is being withdrawn from the other; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged crosssection on the line' 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, H represents a sprinkler head and T the struts thereof held in position by the fusible link L.l The link L is the subject-matter of my inven- 4tion and consists of the components or sections 1, 1', and a rolling fulcrum or ball 2 presently to Ibe described indetail. At oneA Iend of the section or component 1, the corners are bent over. so as to form the hooks q'i, 71 the remaining portion of the member a 'tongue t,

between the hooks constitutingsaid tongue being provided with an opening 0, adapted to receive one of the struts T. The component 1 is also bent over at the corners of one end thus forming the hooks L, L, jecting outwardly between the hooks in which is an opening 0 likewise for receiv Patented Dee. 12, 1916. x

and leaving a tongue t, prof 601 ing one of the struts T. Each of the secf7 tions 1, l', is perforated substantially in the edges of said openings being concaved the center by openings O, O', respectively,y

or dished so as to furnish a snug seat for-"U the ball 2, which couples the sections`1,"1

and'normally restrains them againstlongi-J tudinal displacement. The link sections are provided with recesses 7, 7"', opposite the openings o, 0, respectively, to provide clear-v i ance for the struts T, T, when the link assembled and ready for use.

All of the parts having been described,Ik

let-us now see how they are assembled so .as to constitute the fusible link. .The sec`` tions l, 1, have their inner faces f, f',

being brought together, and the hooks k, L,'

k, It', projecting beyond the edges of the sections l', l, respectively. While the sections and ball 2 are thus held together, they `are brought in contact with heat sufiicie'nt to melt the solder on the members l, 1', and ball 2, which, upon cooling, causes the members and -ball to adhere and unites the parts` into an integral link. The next step is to' solder the overlapping hook of one memdrops of solder s, s, (Fig. llf). The solder ,is worked into the spaces e, @,.between the hook of one section and the opposite section (as shown in Figs. 4 and 6), for a, purpose presently to be seen. When the link is in place between the struts, considerable pull is exerted on it, and if vonly the solder m was relied on to prevent the sections from separating, the continuing lpull exerted on the sections-byv the struts would soon force the sections apart and allow the sprinkler head to go off, which is the very thing that it is 'intended to overcome.A The ball 2 a coupling in binding these sections together. However, when the solder has been melted the link sections are free to separate, the rolling fulcrum or ball 2 permitting ,a

`ber to the edge of the other member by' i takes Vthis strain oii'the solder m and trans- A mits it to the sections, said ball operating as compound movement of the sections, to Wit,

a longitudinal movement betweenthe sec'- f tions and a lateral separatin movement,

fully indicated by dotted position and arfor the sections to separate from each other,

laterally as they roll on the ball; and as a precaution against this separation (indif catedv by the Aarrow Fig. 4) the spaces e, e, are filled with solder 8, which acts as an anchor', and imparts any lateral strain to the hooks, h, h, h', k, against which the solder abuts, .(Figs. -l and 6). However, the hooks h, k, h', h must not all project in front of the edges of the sections 1, 1", since onejo'f the sections must pass `the adjacent hooks when the links separate. In the present case the section l is allowed to pass the hooks h', h when'the sections are being pulled apart (Fig. 5 dotted position). l It is apparent that the only way for the sections to separate is for the solder to be melted first, after which the members can roll past each other on the ball 2, this movement being permitted by the clearancebetween the section 1, and hooks h', h. Y

The solder composing the anchor .s isv to be distinguished from the solder m between the link sections, as the former serves as an abutment between the adjacent ends of the link sectionswrestraining lateral movement' on the pai-tof either linksect-ion, while thelatter merely holds the sections together by virtue of its adhesive force.

It is obvlous that the present invention is lwise departing from .corner hooks on one edge susceptible of modifications without in anythe spirit of the invention. i

Having described my invention, what I claim is: 1

1. In a fusible link, a pair of sections placed face to face in parallel relation, a coupling ball traaersing said'pair of sections, corner hooks on one edge of each of said sections 'projecting over the free edge of the adjacent section tongue formations between the hooks, a fusible substance interposed between reach of said hooks and e of the adjacent section, and a fusible su stance holding the sections in fixed relation.

2. In a fusible link for sprinkler heads,v

a pair of sections placed face to face in substantially parallel relation, registering openings substantially in the center of said sections, concave wallsbounding said openings, a ball traversing the openings and seated on the concave walls, the latter operatingr to prevent the ball from becoming displaced, of each of said sections projecting over t e free edge of the adjacent section tongues between the hooks, a fusible -sub'stance interposed between the ends/of the hooks and said free ed j fusible substanceholding the sections and ball in fixed relation. y In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM A. PERRY.

Witnesses:

HARRY A. Bulnes, Enss M. Smau.. f 

